Envelope

ABSTRACT

The envelope is so arranged that a sheet is folded into two to form a front sheet  10  having an address face and a rear sheet  11  having a folded face, an enclosing area S having an opening  17  is provided between the front sheet  10  and the rear sheet  11,  a surface of the front sheet  10  facing to the rear sheet  11  and a surface of the rear sheet  11  facing to the front sheet  10  are directly pasted at side portions f 2  except for the opening  17  and a folding line  13,  the front and the rear sheets  10, 11  generally overlap each other and generally whole area of the enclosing area S consists of a same number of the sheets.

FIELD OF THE ART

[0001] This invention relates to an envelope, more specifically, to an envelope on which print can be provided by being passed through a printer directly.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Conventionally regular and irregular envelopes are made of a sheet that is folded into an appropriate shape. Then a fundamental structure of the envelopes is inevitably common and the envelopes of a type such as middle pasted, side pasted, straw bag pasted or diamond pasted have been known to the public. For example, an envelope shown in FIG. 1 belongs to a type called as straw bag pasted and is folded into a shape to form a front sheet 1 having a face on which an address is to be shown, a rear sheet 2 having a face to be folded and a flap 3. The envelope, if it is a regular envelope, is completed by pasting the front sheet 1 with the rear sheet 2 through an overlap margin A extending from a side edge of the front sheet 1.

[0003] Recently computers are getting more popular and popular not only in an office but also at home. Then printers also are remarkably prevailing at home. According to this trend, an address is likely to be printed by the use of a printer. Further there is a demand that a logo of an addresser or decoration be printed irrespective of a portion of an envelope in addition to the address.

[0004] However, in case of a conventional envelope as shown in FIG. 1, thickness of the envelope is not even since a portion corresponding to the overlap margin A is three-layered and a center portion is two-layered. As a result, when the envelope passes between rollers of a printer, there exists a gap in the center portion on which an address is to be printed. This might cause shear in printed characters. In addition, when the envelope passes between driving rollers of the printer, wrinkles might be developed due to difference of strength generated by difference of thickness, a degree of fixing ink might be changed due to difference of thickness, or a printed character might be distorted on a position where there is a difference in thickness. Further, since the front sheet and the rear sheet overlap each other through right and left overlap margins, a degree of attaching each front and rear sheets is low, which might cause a difference in a feeding amount between a sheet fed by a driving roller and a sheet fed by a follower roller, thereby to hinder a smooth feeding or an accurate printing. Every conventional envelope has an overlap margin and is not uniform in thickness, which generates inconvenience. The inconvenience is especially conspicuous for a printer of a laser-type.

[0005] The present claimed invention is to solve the conventional problems and discloses an arrangement of an envelope on which an address or the like can be printed by the use of prevailing printers.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In order to attain the above-mentioned object an envelope of the present claimed invention is so arranged that a sheet is folded into two to form a front sheet having an address face and a rear sheet having a folded face, an enclosing area having an opening is provided between the front sheet and the rear sheet, a surface of the front sheet that faces to the rear sheet and a surface of the rear sheet that faces to the front sheet are directly pasted at side portions thereof except for the opening and a folding line and the front and the rear sheets generally overlap each other and generally whole area of the enclosing area consists of a same number of the sheets.

[0007] In accordance with the arrangement of the envelope, since the front and the rear sheets are directly pasted without any overlap margin so as to make thickness of the envelope uniform, it is possible to effectively prevent a problem in printing that is caused for a conventional envelope whose thickness is uneven such that a wrinkle is developed, a degree of fixing ink changes and shear in printing occurs at a position where the thickness of the envelope changes. In addition, since a degree of attaching the front sheet to the rear sheet is by far high as compared with conventional envelopes, shear in printing unlikely occurs when the envelope passes between rollers of a printer, thereby to feed smoothly. Further, since there is no overlap margin existing, an expanded sheet becomes a shape of a rectangle or an approximate rectangle, thereby to improve yield when the expanded sheet is cut out of crude paper. In addition, since a process of folding an overlap margin can be omitted, a manufacturing process can be simplified. Further, the envelope can be opened also from a side of the envelope by peeling the front sheet off from the rear sheet. It is a matter of course that the envelope is very preferable for handwriting an address because a thickness of the envelope is uniform.

[0008] With the above arrangement, it is difficult to open the opening because the front sheet generally overlaps with the rear sheet and there is a possibility that the front and rear sheets are separated or torn at a pasted portion of the front and rear sheets due to load directly applied to the pasted portion at a time to open the opening. In order to prevent this inconvenience it is preferable that a cutout portion is provided at an edge portion facing the opening of the rear sheet.

[0009] In order to make a thickness of the envelope uniform when the opening is closed with the flap, it can be conceived that the flap has a shape that generally overlaps with the rear sheet.

[0010] If the front sheet and the rear sheet have completely the same shape, the rear sheet might stick out of the front sheet in case an operation of folding the envelope is inaccurate so that the rear sheet does not overlap with the front sheet. In case of providing print on the envelope with a printer, the envelope might get stuck inside the printer or a wrinkle might be developed on the envelope due to a portion of the rear sheet that sticks out of the front sheet, which makes it difficult to provide printing on the envelope securely. In order to prevent this inconvenience it is preferable that a rear sheet having a folded face and a flap are provided through a folding line at both sides of a front sheet, the front sheet and the rear sheet are directly pasted and a width of the rear sheet is made to be gradually narrowed to be undercut from the folding line or from a position away from the folding line by a certain length.

[0011] In accordance with the arrangement in which the rear sheet has a width that is gradually narrowed, the rear sheet will not stick out of the front sheet irrespective of a small error when the envelope is folded into two along the folding line in manufacturing the envelope.

[0012] A concept of “a width is gradually narrowed” includes that a width is tapered stepwisely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is an expanded view showing a conventional envelope.

[0014]FIG. 2 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with a first embodiment of the present claimed invention.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a view showing the envelope of the first embodiment.

[0016]FIG. 4 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with a second embodiment of the present claimed invention.

[0017]FIG. 5 is a view showing the envelope of the second embodiment.

[0018]FIG. 6 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with a third embodiment of the present claimed invention.

[0019]FIG. 7 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with a forth embodiment of the present claimed invention.

[0020]FIG. 8 is a view showing the envelope of the forth embodiment.

[0021]FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a usage of the envelope of the forth embodiment.

[0022]FIG. 10 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with another embodiment.

[0023]FIG. 11 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with a further different embodiment.

[0024]FIG. 12 is a view of the envelope of the first embodiment completed in progress when the rear sheet does not overlap with the front sheet completely due to an error in folding the rear sheet.

[0025]FIG. 13 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with a further different embodiment.

[0026]FIG. 14 is an expanded view showing an envelope in accordance with a further different embodiment.

BEST MODES OF EMBODYING THE INVENTION

[0027] The invention will be described in detail with reference to preferable embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings. The same component will be given to the same element in each of the embodiments.

[0028] <First Embodiment>

[0029] An envelope F in accordance with this embodiment is, wherein an expanded view of which is shown in FIG. 2 and a completed view thereof is shown in FIG. 3, rectangular that is made of an expanded sheet ST folded into two to form a front sheet 10 having a face on which an address is to be shown and a rear sheet 11 with an enclosing area S formed between the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet 11. A folding line 13 to fold the expanded sheet ST corresponds to a longer side portion f1 of the envelope F and the enclosing area S opens to a side facing the folding line 13 by pasting both of shorter side portions f2 each of which is adjacent to the folding line 13 of the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet 11.

[0030] A flap 12 is integrally extended from a longer side portion f4 that faces to the folding line 13 of the front sheet 10 through a second folding line 14 and an opening 17 of the enclosing area S can be sealed by folding the flap 12 along the second folding line 14.

[0031] In this embodiment an adhesive portion 20 is arranged on surfaces 10 b, 11 b facing each other of the shorter side portions f2 of the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet 11 and the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet 11 are directly pasted by applying an adhesive to the adhesive portion 20. In this embodiment the adhesive portion 20 is arranged along whole length of the shorter side portion f2, however, there may be a portion to which any adhesive is not applied along the shorter side portion f2 depending on a usage of the envelope.

[0032] Further, in this embodiment the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet 11 are in the same shape and the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet 11 overlap each other when the extended sheet ST is completed to be the envelope F.

[0033] In addition, in case of conventional ordinary envelopes, since a folding line is not pressed tightly with considering a feel of a material, a portion of the folding line becomes a little thick, which makes a side of the folding line more bulky than other side when a plurality of envelopes are stacked. However, in this embodiment, the folding line 13 is pressed more tightly than the conventional ordinary envelopes so as to uniform the thickness of the envelope F, which makes a thickness of the stacked envelopes F uniform along whole area of the envelope F even though a plurality of envelopes F are stacked.

[0034] In accordance with the arrangement of the embodiment, since generally whole area of the enclosing area S is uniform in thickness because the enclosing area S consists of a same number of the sheets, it is possible to effectively prevent a problem in printing that is caused for a conventional envelope whose thickness is uneven such that a wrinkle is developed, a degree of fixing ink changes partially or shear in printing occurs at a position where the thickness of the envelope changes. In addition, since a degree of attaching the front sheet 10 to the rear sheet 11 is by far high compared with conventional envelopes, the front and rear sheets 10, 11 do not slip each other while passing between rollers of a printer. This makes it possible to feed the front and rear sheets 10, 11 smoothly. Further, a thickness of stacked envelopes F becomes uniform even though a plurality of envelopes F are stacked, which makes it possible to provide print on the envelope F continuously without any problem such as being stacked on a feeder of a printer and also suitable to store and pack the envelopes F. It is a matter of course that the envelope F is very suitable to handwrite an address because a thickness of the envelope F is uniform.

[0035] From a point of manufacturing view, since there is no overlap margin existing for the envelope F. the expanded sheet ST becomes a shape of a rectangle or an approximate rectangle, thereby to improve yield by far when the expanded sheet ST is cut out of crude paper. In addition, a process of folding an overlap margin can be omitted, thereby to simplify a manufacturing process.

[0036] <Second Embodiment>

[0037]FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of an envelope F that is expanded, wherein a numeral 10 is a front sheet having a face on which an address is to be shown, a numeral 11 is a rear sheet having a folded face and a numeral 12 is a flap. Numerals 13 and 14 are folding lines that are formed at a time when each of the envelopes F is rapped one by one. The front sheet 10 is rectangular and the rear sheet 11 is rectangular having an undercut portion 15 that is gradually tapered from the folding line 13 toward an opening 17. FIG. 5 shows the completed envelope F that has been folded into two along the folding line 13 and adhesive portions 20 that locate both ends of the envelope F have been pasted with an adhesive.

[0038] An especially important point of the arrangement of the invention is that a shape of the rear sheet 11 is not a rectangle that coincide with a shape of the front sheet 10 but an approximate rectangle with its side portions tapered. If a shape of the rear sheet 11 completely coincides with that of the front sheet 10 like the first embodiment, the rear sheet 11 might stick out of the front sheet 10 as shown in FIG. 12 due to an error of folding the rear sheet 11. Then an appearance of the envelope F might be ruined because unexpected distortion happens to a shape of the envelope F as a whole, resulting in a problem in printing. However, in accordance with this arrangement, the rear sheet 11 will not stick out of the front sheet 10 even though a little error might happen when the envelope F is folded along the folding line 13 by the use of a machine. As a result, the shape of the envelope F as a whole becomes a rectangle as far as the shape of the front sheet 10 is a rectangle. Then it is possible to solve a problem such that the envelope F is fed slant to rollers of a printer or the envelope F is distorted and folded because there is no portion that sticks out of the front sheet 10 even though a plurality of the envelopes F are stacked on a feeder of a printer in case of providing print on the envelope F with the printer.

[0039] <Third Embodiment>

[0040]FIG. 6 shows an envelope of a third embodiment wherein an undercut portion 15 begins not from a folding line 13 but from a middle position between the folding line 13 and an opening 17. Since an expanded sheet ST of the envelope is rapped one by one and folded along the folding line 13 by a machine, an excessive error will not occur in folding the expanded sheet ST. As a result, it is conceived that the undercut portion 15 does not necessarily begin from the folding line 13 in order to prevent a rear sheet 11 from sticking out of a front sheet 10.

[0041] In order to produce the same effect as that of the above embodiment shorter side portions f2 of the rear sheet 11 may be tapered stepwisely so that a width of the rear sheet 11 is narrowed toward a distal end thereof as shown in FIG. 13 or a width of the rear sheet 11 may be narrower than that of the front sheet 10 as shown in FIG. 14.

[0042] <Forth Embodiment>

[0043] An envelope F of this embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 7 through FIG. 9, provided with cutout portions K on both sides of a longer side portion f3 that forms an opening 17 in a rear sheet 11. More concretely, the cutout portions K are formed by cutting the longer side portion f3 into a shape of “V” and arranged to locate at a little inside from an adhesive portion 20. In accordance with the arrangement, not only the opening 17 can be opened easily but also force to detach the adhesive portion 20 will not directly be applied to the adhesive portion 20 due to stress applied to the cutout portion K when the opening 17 is opened in order to put or take out an enclosure OB through the opening 17. As a result, it is possible to adhere the flap 12 to the rear sheet to cover a torn portion as far as the torn portion is small even though the opening K is opened too much so as to tear the opening K, thereby to avoid inconvenience that the enclosing area S can not be sealed.

[0044] A size, a shape or a position of the cutout portion K is not limited to this embodiment, and the cutout portion K may be provided either one side of the rear sheet 11.

[0045] <Other Embodiments>

[0046] In order to uniform a thickness of the envelope when an opening 17 is closed with a flap 12 that closes the opening 17 of an enclosing area, it can be conceived that the flap 12 has a shape that generally overlaps with a front sheet 10 or a rear sheet 11.

[0047] In the above embodiments the folding line 13 is explained to correspond to a longer side portion f1, but the folding line 13 may be arranged to correspond to a shorter side portion f2. However, a size of an envelope F may be limited to small compared with the envelope of the above embodiment in case the envelope F is automatically manufactured by the use of a folding machine due to limitation of a function of the folding machine since a length of an expanded sheet ST becomes long.

[0048] In addition, it is a matter of course that the front sheet and the rear sheet may be adhered by means of other method. Further, the present claimed invention is applied to not only a completed envelope but also an envelope in a condition of spread that is to be completed to paste each of the faces to be adhered of the front and rear sheets by an end user.

POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRY

[0049] As mentioned above, in accordance with the present claimed invention, since the front and the rear sheets are directly pasted without any overlap margin so as to make a thickness of the envelope uniform, it is possible to effectively prevent a problem in printing that is caused for a conventional envelope whose thickness is uneven such that a wrinkle is developed, a degree of fixing ink changes or shear in printing occurs at a position where the thickness of the envelope changes. In addition, since a degree of attaching the front sheet to the rear sheet is by far high compared with conventional envelopes, shear in printing unlikely occurs when the envelope passes between rollers of a printer, thereby to feed smoothly. Further, since there is no overlap margin existing, yield is improved when the expanded sheet is cut out of crude paper. In addition, since a process of folding an overlap margin can be omitted, a manufacturing process can be simplified. Further, the envelope can be opened from a side of the envelope by peeling the front sheet from the rear sheet. It is a matter of course that the envelope is very preferable for handwriting an address because a thickness of the envelope is uniform. In addition, if a rear sheet has a width that is gradually tapered from the folding line or the rear sheet has a width that is gradually narrowed from a position away from the folding line by a certain length, the rear sheet does not stick out of the front sheet irrespective of a small error when the envelope is folded into two along the folding line or the folding line is rapped inaccurately due to an undercut portion of the rear sheet, thereby to securely avoid getting stuck inside a printer or shear in printing when the envelope is printed with a printer. 

1. An envelope wherein a rear sheet is integrally provided with a front sheet having a face on which an address is to be shown through a folding line and an enclosing area having an opening is formed between the front and the rear sheets each of which is folded along the folding line, and characterized by that side portions except for the opening and the folding line of the front sheet and the rear sheet are directly pasted each other, the front sheet and the rear sheet generally overlap each other and generally whole area of the enclosing area consists of a same number of the sheets.
 2. The envelope described in claim 1 and characterized by that a cutout portion is provided at both sides or one side of the side portions forming the opening of the rear sheet.
 3. The envelope described in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein a flap is integrally provided with a side portion forming the opening of the front sheet through a second folding line, and the flap has a shape that generally overlaps with the rear sheet.
 4. An envelope wherein a rear sheet having a folded face and a flap are provided through a folding line respectively at both ends of a front sheet and the front sheet and the rear sheet are directly pasted, and characterized by that the rear sheet has a width that is gradually tapered from the folding line.
 5. An envelope wherein a rear sheet having a folded face and a flap are provided through a folding line respectively at both ends of a front sheet and the front sheet and the rear sheet are directly pasted, and characterized by that the rear sheet has a width that is gradually narrowed from a position away from the folding line by a certain length. 